Metering system.



No. 831,478. 'PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

E. SOHATTNER. METERING SYSTEM.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 19, 1905.

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In vefitdfi Ernest Scbattner,

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'ily understood by the consumers.

rmrrnn srafrns re a r-mar orrrcn ERNEST SOHATTNER, 0F SCHENE TADY, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEN- ERAL ELECTRIC COll IPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

llilEE'l'EFillilG SYSTEM.

No. 831,478. fpecificati on of To a whom it nwgl concern:

Be it known that I, Ennns'r SCHAT'INER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful 1m rovements in Metering Systems, of which t e followinr is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a method of and apparatus for metering electric energy supplied to consumers.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of metering electric energy by which the charges are closely proportional to the cost of supplyii'ig'tlu-i energy and an amiaratus for metering in accordance with this method consisting of a single device the operation of which is readily understood.

It has been common heretofore to supply electric energy to consumers at a definite rate per unit of energy, if the consumer does not use more than a definite maximum amount of energy at any one time and to increase this rate upon a predetermined schedule if the consumer exceeds this predetermined maximum. This is known as the maxinmm-demanc system. In accordance with this system two instruments are usually installed on a consalners premises, one an integrating-meter, to measure the total energy supplied, and the other a demand instrument, indicating the maximun'i current used at any one time. This system i,)ossesscs certain disadvantages, among which may be mentioned the cost of the two instruments, the expense of installing them, and the fact that the graduationof the charges is not read- My invention contemplates avoiding these objectionable features by employing a single instrum'ent consisting of a meter of the type now in common use to measure the energy supplied to a consumer, increasing the rate of actuation of the motive device of the meter per unit of energy as the energy supplied increases, and maintaining the actuation of the motive device at the rate to which it is increased. This can be readily done in a meter of ordinary construct-ion, consisting of a motor driving a register, by providing means for increasing the speed of the rotatable ele ment of the motor per unit of energy as the energy supplied increases and maintaining this increased rate of rotation. The increase in the ate at which the motive device of the Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

l Application iled August 19. 1.905- Serial No. 274,895.

meter is actuated as the demand increases may be effected in various ways. It may be effected directly by the current flowing in the system or indirectly by the movable element of the meter, which of course is driven at a speed proportional to the current flowing in the system. The increases in the current flowing or in the speed of the movable element of the meter may be arranged to vary a resistance in a circuit of the meter or to move the damping-magnets to a less effective position to vary the speed of the motive device per unit of energy. I prefer, however, to arrange the closed conductor of the mechanism for damping the movements of the u'iovable element of the meter, so that it can be moved into and out of the field of the permanent =magnet or magnets cooperating tl'ierewith and to effect this movement by means of a centrifugal device of the .ballgovernor type carried by the shaft of the meter. I will describe a meter constructed in this manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the apparatus I prefer to use, and in which Figure 1 is a front view of the meter with the cover rcn'ioved. Fig. '2 is aperspective view of the damping device, and Fig. 3 is detail view the pawl-aml-ratchet device. l'teferring to the drawings, the meterconsists of a frame 1, secured to a suitable support 2 and carrying bearings for the shaft 3, on which are mounted. the armature 4 and comnmtator 5 of the meter-motor. A registering device 6 is driven by shaft 3 by means of a worm-wheel in driving relation to the dial-train and meshing with a worm on the shaft. Field-coils 7 7 are mounted in inductivc relation to the armature 4. and arranged to beconnected in series in one of the lines entering the consumer's premises. An aux iliary field-coil 8 is also mounted in inductive relation to armature 4 to compensate for friction in the meter; Coil 8 is connected in series with armature 4 by means of brushes 9,

bearing on the coml'nutat'or 5 and a suitable resistance across the lines, so that the current therein varies with the voltage of the systen'i. in meters of this type it is necessary to retard the rotations of the movable element, and this retardation is usually effected by a closed conductor, such as a disk or cylinder of conducting material carried by the shaft of the movable element and arball-governor type on shaft 3, which is ar,.

ranged to lift the ring 10 to decrease the portion of the ring which rotates'in the fields of the magnets. Secured to shaft 3 is a support 14, to the ends of which are pivoted rods 15, carrying at their ends weights 16 16.

These weights are threaded on the rods, so

-' that their positions may be adjusted to vary their effect. Rods '17 17lare pivoted at one end to the rods 15 15 and at the other end to the sleeve 12. It will be seen that as shaft 3 rotates the weights 16 16 will move out radially from the shaft by centrifugal force and lift the sleeve 12 and the ring 10, carried thereby. Between the support 1 1 and the upper end of sleeve 12 a spring 18 is coiled on shaft 3. This spring offers aconstantly-increasing resistance to the upward movement of the sleeve. Without it the decrease in the re tarding effect when the speed of: the meter increases and the ring 10 is lifted would cause the movable element of the meter t'o-speed up and lift the ring still farther. In order that the ring 10 will not be lifted entirely out of the fields of the magnets, in which case there would be no damping effect whatever, I make one portion, 10, of the ring 10 wider than the remainder and arrange the parts so that at the highest position of the ring this wider portion will be within the fields of the magnets. Pivoted on the sleeve 12 is a tooth or .pawl 19, which engages with closelyspaced ratchet-teeth 20, formed on the shaft 3. This pawl-and-ratchet device holds sleeve 12 and ring 10 at the highest positions to which they are moved by the weights 16 16.

When the meter is connected in a consumers circuit and energy is used by the consumer, the movable element of thc'meter is rotated and weights 16 16 move out radially from shaft 3 a distance proportional to the speed of the meter and hence to the amount of energy supplied. This movement of the weights operates to raise the ring 10, so that less of it is in the fields of the magnets 13, and the pawl 19 engages a tooth of the ratchet 20 to hold the ring 10 in the highest position to which it is moved. Therctarding effect of ring 10 and magnets 13 is thus decreased, and a unit of energy passing through the meter W1ll effect a greater registration on i the dial 6 than the same amount of energy supplied to the consumer when the rin 10 The amount w ich the consumer has to pay per unit of energy tion.

supplied him therefore increases with increases in the maximum energy consumed,

and weights 16 to drop to the positions shown in Fig. 1; Maintaining the rotation of the movable elemerit of the meter per unit of energy at the point to which it is-increased is of great importance, as in this way the charges for the energy supplied to the consumer are more nearly proportional -to the cost of supplying the energy. If the rate were allowed to fall as soon as the demand falls, a consumer could use a very large maximum amount of energy for a short period and pay only a small amount for it; but this large maximum amount of energy would require in the central station additional generating apparatus, which would be in use and hence earning a return only a short period. The centrifugal device may be so arranged that the weights begin to move out when only a very small amount of energy is being supplied to the consumer and move out more and more as this amount increases, or they can be arranged so that nov movement is made until the energy supplied to the consumer exceeds a certain predetermined amount and then move more and more as the energy supplied increases. In the first case the rate paid by the consumer per unit ofenergy would increase steadily as the demand increases, and 1n the latter case t e consumer would have to pay a definite rate for energy supplied him if he did not exbeed; a certain predetermined maximum and an; increased rate if-he did exceed that maximum proportioned to the amount of the excess. It will be seen thatwith this meterthe charges for energy supplied may be closely proportional to the cost of supplying the energy,

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The features of my invention can be em- 1 loyed in metering devices differing widely From that shown and described herein without departing from the spirit of my 'inven- Also the features of my invention are applicable to meters of the induction type as well as to the communicating type of meter,

which I have illustrated. All such modifica- 1. The method of metering the sup ly of electric energy consisting in causing t e energy to actuate a registering device, increasing the actuation of the registering "dGVlOQ actuation of the motor per unit of energy per' unit of energy as the energy supplied increases, and maintaining the actuation of the registering device at the rate'to which it is' increased. 5 2.- The method of metering the sup ly of electric energy consisting in causing t e en- 2b creases, and maintaining the actuation of the otor device at the rate to which it is increased.

4. In.a system of distribution of electric energy, an electric meter comprising a motor actuated by the energy of the system, a register driven thereby, means for increasing the ,actuation'of the motor per unit of energy as the energy flowing in the system increases, and means for maintaining the actuation of 0 the motor at the rate to which it is increased. j 5. In a system of distribution of electric energy, an electric meter comprising a motor actuated by the energy of the system, a register driven thereby, means for increasing the I with increases in the energy flowing in t e system above a predetermined amount, and

means for maintaining the actuation of the motor at the rate to which it is increased.

6. In a system of distribution of electric energy,an electric meter comprising a motor, a register actuated thereby, means for retarding the rotation of the movable element of the motor, means for decreasing the retarding effect of said means per rotation of the movable element with increases in the 5 0 7. In a system of distribution of electric energy, an electric meter comprising a motor having arotatable element, a register driven by the motor, means carried by the shaft of said rotatable element and actuated by centrifugal forcefor increasing the rotation of the rotatable element per unit of energy asv the energy flowing inthe systemincreases,

and means for maintaining the rotation of which it is in-l v r 6c 8. An electric. meter comprising a motor having a rotatable element, a register driven said element at the rate to. creased,-

by the motor, means for-'retarding the rotation of the rotatable element ofthe motor, means carried by the shaft of said rotatable element and actuated by centrifugal force for decreasing the retarding effect of said means "per rotation of the rotatable element,

and means for maintaining the retarding ef-- fect at the point to which it is decreased.

9. An electric meter comprising a motor having a rotatable element, a registerdriven by the motor, a closed conductor carried by the shaft of the rotatable element, a permanent magnet cooperatin with said conductor, means carried by the s aft of the rotatable element and actuated by centrifugal force for moving the conductor and magnet relatively to decrease the'retarding effect thereof, and means for maintaining theconductor and magnet in the relation to'which they are moved. V

10. An electric meter comprising a motor having a rotatable element, a register driven by the motor, a closed conductor carried by the shaft of the rotatable element, a perms-- nent magnet cooperating therewith, means carried by the shaft of the rotatable element and actuated by centrifugal force for moving the conductor relatively to the magnet to decrease the retarding efl'ect thereof, a spring -opposin the effect of. said means, and a latch to old the conductor in any position to which it is moved.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of August, 1905.

' ERNEST SCHATTNER. Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN Onroan. 

